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2005-06 VU Men’s Basketball Prospectus (pdf format)
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Talented, Deep Perimeter Play Highlights Commodore Attack 7/6/2005 Point Guards | Wing Players | Post Positions Preview
It starts with one of the premier point guards in the Southeastern Conference who returns for his senior season. Add in a group of promising second-year players that each showed flashes of impressive talents. Then include a sturdy post player who has shown glimpses of strong play in the paint and you start to see the makings of a talented Vanderbilt basketball team. But one thing has Commodore Head Coach Kevin Stallings even more thrilled than the potential on-court possibilities coming this winter — his team’s positive mindset this summer. “Our team’s attitude and their willingness to embrace what we have asked them to do for next season has been outstanding,” said Stallings, who enters his seventh season at the Vanderbilt helm. “If our team attitude stays right then our talent level is getting to the point to where we can legitimately complete for higher spots in this league.” And it’s not like the Vanderbilt program has suffered in recent years. The Commodores have finished third in the SEC Eastern Division each of the past two seasons — behind only Kentucky and Florida. During that stretch, Vanderbilt has recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1993 and 1994 campaigns. Its total of 43 victories since the start of the 2003-04 season are tied with South Carolina for the fifth-most in the league. After reaching the 2004 NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals, disappointing play last season in the 2005 SEC Tournament officially ended Vanderbilt’s hopes of returning to the Big Dance. However, the Commodores regrouped and won at Indiana in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament then outlasted Wichita State thanks to a thrilling full-court pass that led to an easy layup inside the game’s final second. A road loss at Memphis cut short Vanderbilt’s chances of playing in the NIT semifinals. The Commodores concluded the season at 20-14. Back to Top | Wing Players | Post Positions Leading the Vanderbilt attack this season will be senior Mario Moore (G, 5-11, 181). The Nashville native is the SEC’s lone returning point guard having amassed more than 1,000 points, 275 assists and 175 3-pointers. Moore, who led the Commodores last season with 13.5 points and 3.7 assists a game, was the team’s most reliable player through the first half of the year. He reached double figures in scoring in 14 of the first 15 games of the season, shooting nearly 50 percent from both the field and 3-point range. However, Moore struggled over the last 19 games on the schedule, hitting 41 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc.
“On the nights when he is good, Mario is capable of being as good as any point guard in the league,” Stallings said. “The first half of last year he was as consistent and solid a player as he has ever been for us. Then in the second half of the season, he was anywhere from spectacular to inconsistent. That’s what we’re going to have to rectify — his wide range of production. “Mario is very talented. So much of it for him is his ability to manage his own emotions. As he continues to do that better, he is going to continue to be a better player.” One of the SEC’s top returning 3-point shooters (2.26 per game a year ago), Moore gave Commodore fans a glimpse into his offensive explosiveness last season. He netted a career-high 31 points against Wichita State in the second round of the NIT, tying a school record with nine 3-pointers. He also tallied 30 points thanks in part to six triples at LSU in the regular season-finale. In all, Moore had eight games last season when he hit four or more 3-pointers. Moore also handed out his most assists (126) in a single season last year, with a career-high coming in a double-double effort — 20 points, 13 assists — against Arkansas in February. Sophomore Alex Gordon (G, 5-11, 165) played in all 34 games in his first season with Vanderbilt. On occasion, Gordon showed he could be a scoring threat similar to Moore. The Pensacola, Fla., native became the first Commodore freshman since 1977 to score 30 points in a regulation game when he hit five 3-pointers, helping lead Vanderbilt to a 77-72 victory over rival Tennessee in February. Gordon, who averaged 6.0 points and 1.2 assists as a freshman, sometimes struggled with his decision making. He handed out 41 assists but turned the ball over 53 times during the year. “Alex has a lot of abilities and we need to be able to take advantage of his quickness and his scoring ability,” Stallings said. “But he also needs to be able to run our team and make good decisions. If he improves in those areas that will help our point-guard play quite a bit.” Back to Top | Point Guards | Post Positions Coupling a pair of gifted point guards with talented wing players gives Vanderbilt the potential for a strong perimeter. Sophomores Shan Foster (G/F, 6-6, 190) and DeMarre Carroll (F, 6-7, 210) headline a number of weapons the Commodores feature at the wing positions. “We’re as deep and as talented as we’ve ever been on the wing positions,” Stallings said. “It’s just a matter of finding what guys are going to produce and be consistent.” Foster surpassed Vanderbilt’s all-time leading scorer Matt Freije as the top freshman scorer under Stallings when he compiled 312 points a year ago. The SEC All-Freshman team honoree led all freshmen, shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range during conference play. He also ranked third in free throw percentage (.814) and seventh in scoring (9.2 points) among all SEC freshmen (for all games).
The Kenner, La., native started 24 contests for Vanderbilt last season, reaching double figures in 14 games, including seven during league play. He netted as many as 25 points in a game on two occasions: hitting 10-of-17 field goals against Arkansas in February and connecting on a career-high six 3-pointers at Memphis in the season finale. “I wasn’t surprised at any of the things Shan was able to do last season,” said Stallings of Foster who also averaged 3.1 rebounds. “But I was surprised that they happened early in his freshman year. He is an outstanding shooter with good range and he continues to get better off the dribble. As his confidence in his ball handling increases, his offensive will continue to improve.” Grabbing 3.8 rebounds per game, Carroll ranked as Vanderbilt’s top freshman glass cleaner. The active Alabama native played in every game while averaging 4.0 points. “DeMarre is a guy that’s hard to keep off the court because he makes things happen,” Stallings said. “He brings energy, hard-nosed play and is a terrific rebounder.” Other contributors for Vanderbilt on the wing include junior Dan Cage (G, 6-5, 212), junior transfer Derrick Byars (G/F. 6-7, 217), and freshman George Drake (G, 6-4, 214). Cage, a deadly shooter from the perimeter, uncharacteristically struggled in his sophomore season, shooting only 35.8 percent from beyond the arc. But his defensive play continued to improve throughout last year and was key in Vanderbilt’s 70-56 home win over No. 19 Alabama. Byars, who sat out the 2004-05 Vanderbilt season after transferring from Virginia, brings athleticism and scoring potential to the Commodore offensive attack. Starting 18 of 31 games for the Cavaliers as a sophomore, he averaged 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds while reaching double figures 11 times. “Derrick is a very gifted shooter and versatile player who has played as this level in the past and knows what it takes,” Stallings said. Drake comes to Vanderbilt after a stellar career at Calera High School in Alabama. A three-time 2A Player of the Year award winner, Drake was runner up for Mr. Basketball honors last season after guiding the Eagles to their fourth consecutive state title. He averaged 22.6 points and 8.5 points as a senior. Back to Top | Point Guards | Wing Players Several players give Stallings options at the post positions, though senior Julian Terrell (F, 6-9, 248) and junior Ted Skuchas (C, 6-11, 250) will lead the way.
Terrell, who started 26 of the 33 games he played, battled foul trouble and inconsistent play throughout the 2004-05 campaign. Vanderbilt’s leading returning rebounder (5.1 per game) and shot blocker (1.1), Terrell also averaged 6.8 points a year ago. However, the Nashville native scored 10 or more points in nine games while being whistled for four or more fouls in 12 contests (with six disqualifications) last season. Terrell played well to close the season, averaging 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds over the last five games. Included in the stretch was a career-high 21-point effort at LSU where he hit 8-of-11 from the field. “That’s the kind of productivity that we need from Julian all season long,” Stallings said. “He may be capable of more than that, but we need those types of numbers from him on a regular basis.” Skuchas played in 33 games with five starts last season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 13.8 minutes. The Audubon, Pa., native scored a season-high 11 points in 18 minutes against Ole Miss. “Julian and Ted are very big keys for our season,” Stallings said. “We need them to really step up, play well and impact our team on both ends of the floor. I’m confident that will happen.” Sophomore Alan Metcalfe (F, 6-10, 251), red-shirt freshman Davis Nwankwo (F, 6-9, 245) and freshman Kyle Madsen (F, 6-10, 210) will see action at the post. Metcalfe took part in 24 games with one start last season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.0 rebound. Nwankwo, a strong scorer and inside rebounder, suffered numerous injuries at the start of preseason practice last year and was redshirted. Madsen, who averaged 16.7 points and 8.2 rebounds as a senior at Dublin Coffman High School, has range from the outside. Junior Ross Neltner (F, 6-9, 245) will sit out the 2005-06 campaign after transferring from LSU. Neltner averaged 2.9 points and 3.1 rebounds during his sophomore season in Baton Rouge, La. Back to Top | Point Guards | Wing Players | Post Positions |